Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention a couple things. I met another guy named Rico (he caddied for a guy in the group behind me) today. He was Mexican. Surprise, surprise. Thanks Mom, thanks Dad, for having me fit in with the rest of southern California.

My dad and I were driving home from El Rancho Verde in Rialto and we were passed by 3 African-American brothers in a red Honda CRX. Well, about two miles down the road, what do we pass on the side of the road, broken down and steaming? A red Honda CRX. With three brothers standing around it, wondering why their little POS had overheated/ broken down. They had been doing 110 mph in a CRX. Live and learn.

A sports reporter for The Sun wrote an article about the San Bernardino County Amateur Golf Tournament. There were soooooo many grammatical and factual errors that I had to share it. Enjoy. Oh yeah, by the way, The Sun is written by special ed. students for the audience of similar mental capacity (i.e. southern Californians). Italics in the article itself show places of error. Hahaha. Plus, the course is a par 72, not 71. And there is some error concerning DeGood's score on the first hole.

A DeGood start to tourneyBy Harvey Cohen
Correspondent

YUCAIPA- Ryan DeGood of Redlands shot a first-round one-under 70 to take the lead at the 34th San Bernardino County Amateur golf tournament Saturday at the Yucaipa Valley Golf Club.

DeGood holds a one-stroke lead over three-time defending champion Brandon Hillpot, Peter Sterenberg and Mike Munoz, who all shot first round par 71s.

The 25-year-old DeGood started the morning with by making a par five on the first hole (Rico's note: first hole is a par four) and went on to make par on 14 more holes.

Hillpot took an temporary lead on the strength of a late-round comeback, highlighted by when he hit an eagle (Rico's note: it's "made" eagle, not "hit" an eagle, since he didn't hit America's symbol with a golf ball).

The article goes on and on, and he makes mistake after mistake. The author obviously doesn't know shit from shinola when it comes to golf. And he can't read a scorecard, nor can he relate an interview to the rest of his article. I bet he is a fine product of the California school system, maybe even a Rialto gradate....er graduate. Ahem. So this is why I no longer read the paper, except for the funnies.

Out.

¶
7:01 PM

Stupid golf gods, I hate them. They hate me. It's mutual. I hit the ball well today, my swing was on, and my chipping was OK. My putting sucked ass. Sumo wrestler ass. Oh god. I made one putt today that was over 5 feet. Yippee!!! I missed 5 putts inside of 2 feet. Shit. So I figured out that I have the "yips." Oh well. Can't win 'em all, I guess. So I have 79-78= 157 going into the final day of the tourney tomorrow. Hoping for about a 65, but expecting about 10 shots higher.

Anyways, I'm beat. Damn sun takes the energy out of me.

Out.

¶
5:02 PM

Saturday, May 29, 2004

Golf sucks. Well, not necessarily golf. I have nothing against golf. I still think it's the best game there is. I suck at it. But not that either, because my swing was good today and I actually used my brain sometimes. So what the hell led to my shitty round of 79? Hmmm.....maybe it was the fucked course. Yuppers. Damn course was set up for pros. They put out 18 hard hole locations, whereas the pros themselves play 6 hard, 6 medium, and 6 easy. Nope. 18 hard. So I played well and had trouble putting and such. So I shot 79 with a bunch of fucked lip-outs. Goddamnit. Oh well, at least the guys in my group are cool to play with. One guy got lucky as hell all day and shot 74 and the other two shot 79, like me. So even though I sucked (kind of- I played well, but my score sucked), it was fun. Hopefully, I can score better tomorrow, since it's a helluva lot more fun to shoot 72 than it is to shoot 79.

I miss her. But maybe she'll get to come down for a week this summer. This is what it's like when I'm around her.

Artist: Rascal Flatts
Album: Melt
Title: Too Good Is True

I guess it's cause and effect
Your heart and mine
The way that we connect
Keeps blowing my mind
There you go again, it never ends
What you do to me

That I have seen the light of day
Love is finally going my way
Is it too good to be true
Give me one more kiss, one more touch
Baby, I just can't get enough of you
This time, too good is true

All of a sudden
I'm not who I used to be
I had my heart locked
But you held the key
And you find a way, everyday
To show me even more

That I have seen the light of day
Love is finally going my way
Is it too good to be true
Give me one more kiss, one more touch
Baby, I just can't get enough of you
This time, too good is true

Some people say we're too good to be true
But they don't get to be loved by you

That I have seen the light of day
Love is finally going my way
Is it too good to be true
Give me one more kiss, one more touch
Baby, I just can't get enough of you
This time, too good is true

Oh this time, too good is true
Yes it is, yeah

¶
4:49 PM

Friday, May 28, 2004

I watched Road to Perdition last night. Good movie. It just bothered me a little though that the end was tired and predictable. I mean, maybe I just guessed really well, but I knew pretty much exactly what would happen.

I hit golf balls today. So after this weekend, I will done something golf-related in 8 out of 9 days. Oh well. I'll let you guys know how I do in the tournament. Maybe I won't suck ass, since it seems like my swing is coming back (at least a little). But then again, I do have to play Yucaipa tomorrow, and I always suck/blow on the those greens.

Out.

¶
4:20 PM

Thursday, May 27, 2004

Bah. Bastard traffic. I hate it. It took me 30 minutes to go from Waterman Golf Course to my house, a drive that usually takes 10 minutes. Damn. It took 15 minutes to go about 1/4 mile from the course to the freeway. Shitty.

On the bright side, I played well today. Shot 72. Much better than the last two days and this is more like old Rico, not the new hacker that has played the last couple days.

It was hot as hell today on the course. I like the June gloom, and I wish it would hang around a little more and keep things cooled down a little while longer.

Today was golf day number 4 out of 5 days. After this 3 day weekend, I will have played golf 7 times in 9 days. Not bad, eh? I could stand this life all summer though. Just play golf in the mornings and do some mild chores in the afternoons and evenings. I can do this all summer. Too bad I won't get to. Eh. Oh well.

Out.

¶
3:23 PM

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

I guess marriage is in the air. Two of my cousins are getting married this summer. For those of you who have the extreme pleasure of meeting my charming cousins, Kerry and Gina are getting married (no, not to one another, but to other people, thankfully, we are not inbred rednecks- we may be rednecks, but not inbred). Gina is marrying her long-time boyfriend and Kerry is marrying some Hispanic girl he's been with for awhile (longer than 4 months anyways). Gina's wedding is going to be well-planned and nice. It should be on the beach somewhere. Kerry's is going to be in Vegas. And here's where the fun begins. They are doing it in Vegas, home of the drive-thru wedding, yet they are going to pay tons of money for a chapel. Stupid. Why not just get married somewhere nice (not Vegas) if you're going to pay for a chapel anyways? The purpose of Vegas is a quickie wedding. Dumb. And then they're getting married on a Thursday night. In-fucking-genious. OK, so people would have to take off work to go see their asses get joined in holy matrimony? Hahaha. Yeah right. My parents won't be taking off work for that, I guarantee you. Thirdly, they're going to play in casinos and stuff when they're there. They asked me to go along. Fun shit. i would be able to do about 1% of Vegas. Yay for sitting in the fucking room by myself and sitting by the fucking pool by myself or sitting in an arcade by myself. I see a theme here. Alone. By myself. So you can guess I'm not going to that POS wedding. Call me cruel or weird, but I think this Vegas wedding idea is retarded.

Out.

¶
8:20 PM

YAY! My uncle's cat, Lincoln, remembers me (I think)! He was damn happy to see me, but then again maybe he was just starved for attention. And that I gave him. Damn lovable cat. Haha. Anyways, I visited Lincoln after playing El Rancho Crapo. It's actually got some new owners who actually water it. Strange, that you would water a golf course, but hey, it's in good shape. So I did better today, shot 78, as compared to my shitty, shitty, shitty 82 yesterday. I kept the damn ball on the course today, but I just hacked about 5 shots. Total fucking duffs. I hit behind the ball by a few inches and took "wee tufties" of divots. Teach that bitch course to mess with me. Oh wait, it doesn't care and it won anyways..... :'(

Out.

¶
5:07 PM

Tuesday, May 25, 2004

So I changed the comments stuff. Fun times.

I guess I lied. I thought I would be playing golf right now, but I forgot that the practice rounds for the country am don't start until 10 AM. Shit. So here I sit.

I added 23 pictures from Boise and St. George. Check it out. If you need it, here's a password and such to get you into Imagestation:
name: plickplick22
password: bengals
Anyways, some of the pictures are pretty cool, I think. It took about 4 hours to upload everything and do all the work I needed to do on the album. AHHHH! I hate not having DSL and a fast computer. Goddamn slow POS I have at home.

So it looks like my mom has planned out my summer life already. I have to do volunteer work at two places- both pharmacies. So I have to go apply at those things tomorrow. Fun shit. And then I have to get a job also. I applied to two golf courses, hopefully I can get one off those. And I have to fill out pharmacy applications. I hope to (blank) that I can get into the ISU pharmacy school, but we'll see. So I have to fill out ones for Arizona, San Francisco, and Western. Ugh. More shit. More shit that I don't want to do. I want a summer and a life. I want freedom.

While in Boise, Katie and I saw Shrek 2. GREAT MOVIE!!! I love Puss'N'Boots (Puss in Boots? whatever....). During the week there, we went to the zoo, the museum, the rose garden, a lookout point (called Camel's Back), we went to a family get-together, we walked around downtown, hung out with her friends, went to a 10 year old's softball batting practice (she helped teach them because she has played a little softball in her time), went Olive Garden (dressed up), and I'm sure there's more. I had a blast and I hope she did too. So some of these new pictures from that week and some from the golfing trip I had in St. George, Utah (home of many Mormons and a few Mexicans- odd combination).

Anyways, I should go watch some TV. That's right, I'm making it sound like a chore even though I can sit there and feel my ass grow. Yay for popcorn and Cheetos!

I drove about 10 hours on Saturday to St. George, Utah, to meet my parents and a couple of work buddies of my dad's. We played golf on Sunday morning (my dad woke me up at 5:40 AM to do so). Then we drove home, hitting Vegas traffic and getting stuck in the traffic of a bad wreck- a car flipped over and landed hard on the front part of the car. So the driving sucked ass and I am so glad to be home that I can't even see straight. I don't care that I have basically my whole life to unpack. But, even though I am happy to be home, I am also a little sad at the same time. I know what Alex goes through now. And it sucks. I miss Katie. At least the Internet can help keep us in contact better than just phone calls.

I have a golf tourney coming up and I am going to suck. It's the County Am and it's this coming weekend. I have 3 practice rounds to get in before this weekend and then it's tourney time. This should be interesting, considering I have played twice in the last 3 months. Haha.

Anyways, very tired and time for Panda Bowl.

Out.

¶
8:03 PM

Friday, May 21, 2004

The end is coming. I can feel it. I know that my full day with Katie is today. I leave for St. George tomorrow morning. This is probably one of the most depressing things in my life. I mean, don't get me wrong, we're not breaking up or anything like that. I'm just used to being around her a lot and I think it's going to be hard on both of us. Hopefully, her mom will let her come down to California for a week in the end of July. That would make the three months only about 2 and then 1, instead of 3 straight.

*Sniffle, tear*

Out.

¶
11:54 AM

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

All my grades are finally in. Yay! Kind of. I got an A in Philosophy because that class was a fricking joke. And I got an A- in Cell Bio, which is damn good considering I knew only 80% of the material (therefore, the highest grade that I could have gotten on the final was an 80%) and I didn't even have the slightest clue on the other 20%. I mean, a monkey with a quill pen and no light to write by had a better chance to get some of that 20% right than I did. Oh well. So I guess I pulled out about a 3.7 or 3.8. Some shit like that. Ugh. I know, it's still high. But you guys also know that I am a perfectionist and I must do everything perfectly when it comes to school because I hate failing. I hate not doing well and I hate not getting A's.

So I waxed my truck yesterday for the first time in about 6 months. By hand. No, I didn't get to use my dad's handy-dandy electric buffer and waxer. I wish I had though, because now it feels like my right arm is going to fall off. *Picks up right arm and holds it in the air. Lets go of it and hits self in the nuts with dead right arm.*

Katie and I have been watching the Animal Police on Animal Planet. Good show. Very sad and it makes me angry too. Damn cruel people. This one dog was chained up in the backyard with a tow chain and the chain had cut about 1 or 2 inches into the dog's neck. I'd like to do that to the owner and see how they like that tow chain cutting their flesh and rubbing in the open wound. And another dog on the same show had been shot and left outside with no medical care for a week. WTF? Who does this to animals? Why would you do that? A kitten was blinded by its first owner. OK, what did the kitten do to deserve to be blinded? Maybe it shat on the shag rug? Darn. Clean it up and get over it. That's what kittens do. You don't need to beat them or anything.

¶
12:03 PM

Monday, May 17, 2004

I've been in Boise since Friday afternoon. My little truck made the trip with the bac absolutely packed full of shit. I could not even use my rearview mirror. It was that full. But we made it to Katie's house.

OK, I am tired. I don't know what the deal is. I get enough sleep, and I sleep well. I am just tired and I don't know why.

Well, I've been checking my grades and it looks like Alex may owe me 5 bucks. I got a B in Calculus III, a B+ in English, an A- in Chemistry (not sure how that worked out, but oh well....), an A- in Cell Bio lab, and my philosophy grade should be an A, and Cell Bio is probably a B or B+. So I'm happy with the Calculus and the English grades, but the other ones should all be straight A's. And yes, this is the first B on my report card....ever. Damn, damn, damn. Ugh. Mrs. Uithoven only gave me a an A-. And I have hated her ever since. Well, for other reasons too.....like the D she gave me and Greg on our project and the flat-out mean person she is. Oh well, I guess B's aren't the end of the world. Sure would have been nice to get A's though. :(

Out.

¶
11:02 AM

Thursday, May 13, 2004

I am so lazy right now. I have a ton of packing and cleaning to do, but I wish I didn't have to. I hate it. I would not be a good custodian or anything like that. Thank God I will just get to count pills and pop them in bottles (hopefully). Yay for laziness.

Well, this post sucked ass. I don't have anything else to say. Sorry. I will be in Boise for a week, so don't count on me entertaining you much for the next week.

Out.

¶
12:07 PM

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

Ohhhh fuck. I know all my posts seem to start with cussing, but I need to get the anger out of the way first. I was about half an hour late to my English final today because I kind of forgot about it. Dumbass, dumbass, dumbass. Oh well, I was still the first one done. Haha. I bet that was an awesome paper. Yeah right. Fuck. And then I failed my Calculus final tonight. Oh my God, I knew maybe 3 out of 9 questions. I had no idea on the other 6. No idea. I mean, I could have just written my praises to the immortal gods of ancient Babylon and ended up with the same grade on these 6 questions. Arg. So frustrating because I know that I can do better. Damn. I am so ready for the end of school that it's not even funny. Don't laugh, it's really not funny. Haha. Only I can laugh. Haha. Sorry. Weird person. Me.

I grew a good luck goatee (sp?) for finals week. Well. That really helped. A ton. You can see from my last few posts that it truly helped me. I failed a Calc test, almost forgot to take my English final, struggled for air on a Cell Bio test, and did mediocre on Chemistry. So I shaved that fucker off today. Ended that string of shit. Damn straight. It's gone, banished to the hell of my shaver. Bye-bye chinny-chin hairs.....*waves and gives the finger*

Out.

¶
12:37 AM

Tuesday, May 11, 2004

So today sucked ass, in case my last post was not any indication at all. I mean, besides the finals, it was allright. A nasty windstorm blew in and kicked up a bunch of dust. Made it horrible for us visually impaired folk, the ones with contacts. Rained a little this evening.

Story of incompetence for the evening:
Katie and I went to Sonic and tried to order a lime rickey thing (very good, by the way). The stupid guy working there asked if we wanted the grape limeade. NO, dumbass, the lime rickey. The cherry soda with limes. Damn. Not difficult. So, when we finally get the point across and get to the window, we watch the guy make the lime rickeys. He squeezes the lime and sprays himself in the face with it. Haha, that's what incompetence and stupidity get you. I wanted to tell that bumbling fool that that's the reason he works at Sonic (barely) and that's the reason I'm in college. I'm not being mean, he was just absolutely, positively incompetent.

So Blogger changed formats. The last one lasted what, about two months, maybe more? We'll see how long it goes this time. What's cool about this one is that it keeps track of the number of posts. My blog is a year old and has 307 posts on it. So I posted less than once a day, but about 6 days out of every week.

Pop punk... I'm not really that fond of you, butyou can churn out some good stuff... Old punkdoesn't really like you but you couldn't careless...besides it's all about having fun isn'tit?

OH SHIT, OH SHIT, OH SHIT! Finals did not go well today at all. Chemistry was harder than I had thought it would be. I knew most of it, but some of it was new and hard. That's right, ISU does not obey the normal dead week policy. We actually are supposed to learn new stuff during dead week. I hate that. And Cell Bio was a train wreck, a disaster, and a catastrophe. I knew 80 of the questions by heart, but I had absolutely not a clue on 20. So the best I could have gotten there was an 80%. SHIT. That was a ridiculous test. Damn, damn, damn. So was a struggle. I hope the next two days go a little smoother.

At least I got a little more sleep last night. About 8 and a half hours. I've only been getting about 7 or less, so that was a nice bonus. Sad that sleep has been the best part of my day so far. Very very sad. And what's even worse is that I am looking forward to a helluva lot more tomorrow.

I am packing up crap in my room to store and pack in my truck. I forgot how much shit I had. This is going to take some sweat.

Out.

¶
2:32 PM

Saturday, May 08, 2004

Finals are this coming week. Stinky. I don't want to take them. I feel confident for maybe 2 of my 5. Not good. I think I can do well on Chemistry, because it's Chemistry and it's just basically math, and I think I can do well on Philosophy since I already am guaranteed an A in there. My teacher's grading scale in that class is so fricking easy, but I guess it is a 101 class. But my other finals are going to play the funeral march for me. English. I hate that class. I will not be getting an A in there, I'm sure. This stupid lady reminds me of Herr Doktor Top Raumin. Her fucked up grading, her meanness, her asinine little rules. AHHHH! Cell biology is just flat out hard. Probably a B+ at best. The teacher isn't a jerk and his tests are allright, it's just hard material for me. And what's really sad is that lab for that class was harder than the class itself. I wrote an 18 page paper, front and back, for the lab and got a B on it. No A, but a B. Damn. And Calculus. I have a high B going into the final. We'll see.

Out.

¶
11:42 AM

Friday, May 07, 2004

Oh crap, I hate pollen. It is everywhere in Pocatello. Damn yellow powder covers everything here, whether it's my truck or the sidewalks or my laptop in my room (because I keep my windows open at night to keep my non-AC equipped room cool). It's gross and it makes it look like I live in a pig sty. Oh yeah, it also makes me sneeze a lot and I wake up stuffy every morning. And my glasses (I leave them by my computer) have been covered in pollen, so it makes my eyes dry and scratchy too. Ugh. I HATE POLLEN!

Katie and I are going today to look at a tabby kitten. Maybe I'll get it. Maybe.

My time here in Pocatello is coming to an end for this year. Kind of sad. I won't miss the school work or the tests and all that happy crappy, but I will miss friends that I have made here. And especially one important one. I only have about two and a half weeks left with her. I will miss having Katie around, holding her hand, hugging her, laughing with her, crying with her, being with her, kissing her, seeing her beautiful face every day. Well, hopefully, she will be able to come down to California for the beach week.

Out.

P.S. I love you!

¶
10:12 AM

Thursday, May 06, 2004

Another day is down. Only one week and two days left. I can do it. Best of all, I don't even have finals on next Thursday or Friday, which is awesome. On the down side, that means all my finals are early. Two on Monday, one on Tuesday, two on Wednesday.

Katie and I went down this inflatable slide thing today. We saw people coming off it with rug burns on their elbows, so we said OK, we just won't let our elbows hit the slide. Well, they did. And we both have bir rugburns on our arms. Hers is worse than mine, but I have a weird blister on my palm too. How can the little kids run up and down the slide all day and not get hurt but we go once and come away hurting?

Being told I would be expected to talk here, I inquired what sort of talk I ought to make. They said it should be something suitable to youth-something didactic, instructive, or something in the nature of good advice. Very well. I have a few things in my mind which I have often longed to say for the instruction of the young; for it is in one’s tender early years that such things will best take root and be most enduring and most valuable. First, then. I will say to you my young friends—and I say it beseechingly, urgingly—

Always obey your parents, when they are present. This is the best policy in the long run, because if you don’t, they will make you. Most parents think they know better than you do, and you can generally make more by humoring that superstition than you can by acting on your own better judgment.

Be respectful to your superiors, if you have any, also to strangers, and sometimes to others. If a person offend you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick. That will be sufficient. If you shall find that he had not intended any offense, come out frankly and confess yourself in the wrong when you struck him; acknowledge it like a man and say you didn’t mean to. Yes, always avoid violence; in this age of charity and kindliness, the time has gone by for such things. Leave dynamite to the low and unrefined.

Go to bed early, get up early- this is wise. Some authorities say get up with the sun; some say get up with one thing, others with another. But a lark is really the best thing to get up with. It gives you a splendid reputation with everybody to know that you get up with the lark; and if you get the right kind of lark, and work at him right, you can easily train him to get up at half past nine, every time—it’s no trick at all.

Now as to the matter of lying. You want to be very careful about lying; otherwise you are nearly sure to get caught. Once caught, you can never again be in the eyes to the good and the pure, what you were before. Many a young person has injured himself permanently through a single clumsy and ill finished lie, the result of carelessness born of incomplete training. Some authorities hold that the young out not to lie at all. That of course, is putting it rather stronger than necessary; still while I cannot go quite so far as that, I do maintain , and I believe I am right, that the young ought to be temperate in the use of this great art until practice and experience shall give them that confidence, elegance, and precision which alone can make the accomplishment graceful and profitable. Patience, diligence, painstaking attention to detail—these are requirements; these in time, will make the student perfect; upon these only, may he rely as the sure foundation for future eminence. Think what tedious years of study, thought, practice, experience, went to the equipment of that peerless old master who was able to impose upon the whole world the lofty and sounding maxim that “Truth is mighty and will prevail”—the most majestic compound fracture of fact which any of woman born has yet achieved. For the history of our race, and each individual’s experience, are sewn thick with evidences that a truth is not hard to kill, and that a lie well told is immortal. There is in Boston a monument of the man who discovered anesthesia; many people are aware, in these latter days, that that man didn’t discover it at all, but stole the discovery from another man. Is this truth mighty, and will it prevail? Ah no, my hearers, the monument is made of hardy material, but the lie it tells will outlast it a million years. An awkward, feeble, leaky lie is a thing which you ought to make it your unceasing study to avoid; such a lie as that has no more real permanence than an average truth. Why, you might as well tell the truth at once and be done with it. A feeble, stupid, preposterous lie will not live two years—except it be a slander upon somebody. It is indestructible, then of course, but that is no merit of yours. A final word: begin your practice of this gracious and beautiful art early—begin now. If I had begun earlier, I could have learned how.

Never handle firearms carelessly. The sorrow and suffering that have been caused through the innocent but heedless handling of firearms by the young! Only four days ago, right in the next farm house to the one where I am spending the summer, a grandmother, old and gray and sweet, one of the loveliest spirits in the land, was sitting at her work, when her young grandson crept in and got down an old, battered, rusty gun which had not been touched for many years and was supposed not to be loaded, and pointed it at her, laughing and threatening to shoot. In her fright she ran screaming and pleading toward the door on the other side of the room; but as she passed him he placed the gun almost against her very breast and pulled the trigger! He had supposed it was not loaded. And he was right—it wasn’t. So there wasn’t any harm done. It is the only case of that kind I ever heard of. Therefore, just the same, don’t you meddle with old unloaded firearms; they are the most deadly and unerring hings that have ever been created by man. You don’t have to take any pains at all with them; you don’t have to have a rest, you don’t have to have any sights on the gun, you don’t have to take aim, even. No, you just pick out a relative and bang away, and you are sure to get him. A youth who can’t hit a cathedral at thirty yards with a Gatling gun in three quarters of an hour, can take up an old empty musket and bag his grandmother every time, at a hundred. Think what Waterloo would have been if one of the armies had been boys armed with old muskets supposed not to be loaded, and the other army had been composed of their female relations. The very thought of it make one shudder.

There are many sorts of books; but good ones are the sort for the young to read. remember that. They are a great, an inestimable, and unspeakable means of improvement. Therefore be careful in your selection, my young friends; be very careful; confine yourselves exclusively to Robertson’s Sermons, Baxter’s Saint’s Rest, The Innocents Abroad, and works of that kind.

But I have said enough. I hope you will treasure up the instructions which I have given you, and make them a guide to your feet and a light to your understanding. Build your character thoughtfully and painstakingly upon these precepts, and by and by, when you have got it built, you will be surprised and gratified to see how nicely and sharply it resembles everybody else’s."

-Mark Twain 1882

Oh man. I love Mark Twain. I think he, Edgar Allan Poe, and Jonathan Swift are the best writers from the old days. Anyways, I was just reading this to prepare for my English final. Ugh. OK, back to studying.

Out.

¶
4:44 PM

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

UP YOURS!!!

So I have decided that the mass of America's population is stupid and unaware of how easy they have it and the differences between American culture and that of the rest of the world. Yes, we have it better than most countries. Why? One, because we worked and fought our way for life against British oppression. We got everything the hard way. Two, we are capitalist and we promote hard work to success, not giving money for free (socialism and such). Three, by combining elements of capitalism, politics, and faith in our country, our economy was built up (it's not so good right now, but it will rebound). So we are different from other countries. I'm sorry if you're too ignorant to see that. Get over your tunnel vision. I know you say that I should broaden my horizons. But I do. I see your point. I conclude you're wrong (in my opinion) and I argue back. I see the poverty in the streets of LA. I see the sadness and such. And then you might say that I drive home to Redlands. Good point. Sorry my parents work and make money and don't spend it on alcohol or drugs. So then you might say that parents were born wealthy. Wrong. My mom was born into a family where only her dad worked (and part time, because he was in a wheelchair) and her family was dirt poor. They had to raise chickens and sell eggs to make money to eat every night. My dad grew up in a family of 4 kids and they didn't have a real Christmas. Ever. So fuck y'all if you think I have a little rich white boy attitude. I don't. I see the value of hard work in school and in the workplace.

Political correctness drives me nuts. Pretty soon, we will have to rename sports teams and change the world to suit the "offended." The little chihuahua for Taco Bell was awesome. Stupid Mexicans argued that it was offensive. Why? It was a commercial showing a cute dog. He said "Yo quiero Taco Bell." It's a "Spanish" fast-food joint, so the mascot should speak some Spanish. It was offensive in no way. And let's change the Atlanta Braves to the Atlanta Treaty-Signing Native American Friends of White Men. Or the Anaheim Angels to the Anaheim Non-Denominational Divine Baseball Players? Fuck, when will it stop? Can we have inequalities? Can we have slightly offensive names for things? I mean, really, how is Atlanta Braves offensive at all? I don't mean a class system or slavery or outright racism, I simply mean poor versus rich. Strong versus weak. Those in power versus those without power, except that of voting. Inequality amongst the rich and the poor will always exist as long as America exists. It results from capitalism and before you bash capitalism, take a look at Russia. Then thank Uncle Sam that America is not that fucked up. But anyways, we cannot be so PC that people are not entitled to opinions. I mean, what happened to free speech? Look at the liberals of the world that spout hateful things towards conservatives (and vice versa). Do these people see that they are limiting freedom of speech by preaching about it? They seem to believe that their view is the only correct one. Well that is flat-out wrong. Freedom of speech, bitch(es). Welcome to America, like it or lump it, stay or leave. It's up to you. If you like Africa, move there. We'll be happy to be rid of you. Bye!

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11:51 PM

"How sad a spectacle, so frequent nowadays, to see a young man after ten years of college education come out, ready for his voyage of life- and to see that the entire ship is made of rotten timber, of rottenh, honeycombed, traditional timber withotu so much as an inch of new plank in the hull."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson (1839)

Wow... In 1839, Emerson saw that a university degree was useless to get a job. He was way ahead of his times.

Out.

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10:48 AM

OK, thanks go to Alex for putting the new song on. That is called Ugly Letters. It's by Cary Judd. He came to ISU to perform in the Bengal Cafe. Only about 17 people showed up to watch him. He was awesome. He sounds a lot like John Mayer, except this guy does all his own drums and everything with pedals at his feet. This is one of my favorites by him. Enjoy.

Out.

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12:58 AM

OK, my hall absolutely reeks of pot. Bad. I can't even have my door open without the smell drifting in. And alcohol. That's bad if you can smell alcohol too. These stupid f*cks get drunk EVERY night and smoke weed EVERY day anymore.

I got a second speeding ticket awhile ago. I took this one to court to fight it. And the mission was somewhat successful. I got the ticket reduced from $53 to $43 and I got it changed to a ticket that doesn't add points to my license (therefore, the insurance stays the same). So that was good. I was nervous as hell going into that though. I did not want to be in court, I did not want to face the cop, the judge, the prosecuter. I definitely had hoped the cop would not show up, but he showed up right on time, just like I thought the rotten prick would. Oh well. At least I got it reduced and Mommy and Daddy are happier since there is no increase in insurance. So maybe I should slow down a little when I drive now, huh?

Why are you here? You're not perverted at all.

What type of pervert are you?brought to you by QuizillaI'm glad some little 13 year anime freak thinks that I'm not perverted, since their opinion means so damn much to me. I mean, I'd be broken-hearted if I found out I was a pervert.

OK, I am ready for school to be over. I am tired of it, I am tired of tests, I am tired of studying, I am tired of routine, I am just tired. 10 days.

Out.

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12:32 AM

Monday, May 03, 2004

OK, I have had a horrible fucking morning. I went to English today and my suspiscions that my teacher is a royal crack addict bitch were confirmed. She gave us some of the most whacked out possible finals questions that I have ever heard. Here they are:
1) Using three of the stories read during the semester, describe and justify writing activities explored for this class that differ from those in other English courses.
2) Using three of the stories read during the semester, describe and justify approaches to reading that encourage a scholar to think critically.
3) Using three of the stories read during the semester, identify and explain how elements in the backgrounds of the authors influence their writings.
4) Using three of the stories read during the semester, describe and justify elements in this learning environment that encourage the growth of composition skills.
5) Using three of the stories read during the semester, describe and justify characteristics of an ideal audience.
6) Using three of the stories read during the semester, describe and justify how authorial tone affects the outcomes of writing.

We will be writing out final on one of those. Are those not the stupidest pieces of shit you have ever heard of? AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Anyways, after that debacle, I went to Chemistry. Upon leaving that class, a guy ripped my toenail off with his shoe (I was wearing sandals) by bashing his foot into mine and pulling my toenail away on his shoe. Motherfucker. My toe still hurts.

Then, sitting in my 11:00 class, I realized that I didn't have my wallet. I couldn't find it anywhere. I thought I had left it in Chemistry. Finally, I found it in the corner of my room, under my closet door. Goddamn, what a horrible day.

Thank you Katie for being patient and nice to me. One of the crappiest days in awhile. Thanks for cheering me up!

Out.

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12:40 PM

SunriseThe sun will also rise.
A flower lives and dies.
Time comes, time goes,
Uncaring for the schmoes.
The Earth never stops nor slows,
It doesn't high nor lows.
The clock tell no lies.
The sun will also rise.

The sun will also rise.
No matter what man can devise.
Life goes on, never ending
Until the final, ultimate mourning.
Life can't be spent crying, sighing
Over woes unworth mentioning.
Don't over-analyze or philosophize.
The sun will also rise.

¶
12:35 PM

Sunday, May 02, 2004

I hate Cell Biology. Worst class ever. I just did a take-home test today with my friend, who's also suffering through this torture. OK, between the two of us searching for answers, it took about 5 hours in total. That is ridiculous. And what's worse is that the final will include 100 questions. Between all our homework, there was 150 questions. So we have to memorize the questions and answers of 150 questions and be ready to write a ton. This is going to be the $hittiest final ever. I don't want to take it. Course, I don't really want to take ANY finals, but that's a pipe dream.

In other bull$hit that I need to bitch about, my English teacher assigned a rewrite paper. So we take a paper that she ripped apart earlier in the semester and try to fix the f*ckups. Oh well. My first attempt was probably better than my second. So $hit. I guess I'm screwed in that class.

Calc will be a bastard final since we get 2 pages of notes. You know a test is going to be bad if the teacher allows that much. I remember one of Radoi's tests where we got notes. I think I got a 68% or some crap like that. Fun stuff ahead.

On a brighter note, I was laying in the field near my dorm when some golden retrievers ran over to me and a few other people at full speed. They ran circles around us and then took off again.

Food was crap-tacular tonight at the dining hall. Ugh. I hate dorm food, cafeteria food, orphanage reject "food." I want good stuff. Thankfully, I should get some awesome food in a couple weeks. Katie's mom is an awesome cook.

I may get a cat. If any Boise pet stores or the one here in Pocatello has a $10 kitten, Katie may buy it for me. And yes, $10 kittens do exist. The local pet store had some for a few days before bought them all. I'm still deciding whether I can have a cat or not, depending on how bad my allergies are. Hmmm.....

Out.

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6:02 PM

Ahhh.....I'm soooo tired but I think I should post something.

Friday, I went to a comedy show. Daniel Tosh was the guy's name. Oh, so f*cking funny. He's from Comedy Central and he's been on the David Letterman show a bunch. God, he was great. Then I went to see Mystic River. Depressing, but good movie. Not really a feel-good movie.

Saturday was good. Katie and I laid around for awhile in the morning. Nothing like laying in the arms of the person you care about. It's an awesome feeling. And yes, this does mean that I like cuddling. Screw y'all if you think I'm a pansy. It's a warm, secure, comfortable feeling and I like it. We ate dinner at the good Mexican joint in town. Mmmmmm......chorizo. I love that stuff. Makes your belches smell and taste horrible, but hey, it's sure good the first time (just not the second or third or fourth times......). Then we rented School of Rock and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Good times. The kids playing the instruments in School of Rock are amazing. Makes me wish I was musically talented. But no, no, I'm worthless when it comes to music. I can listen and that's about it. No more than that.